Amazon Acquires IVONA Software To Make Its Own Siri

Alyson Shontell, provided by |
January 24, 2013

IVONA is a ten-year-old company that is already implemented in Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets. It powers the "Text-to-Speech," "Voice Guide" and "Explore by Touch" features.

Now that Amazon owns the technology, it could buff up the product and make a Siri of its own.

The acquisition signifies Amazon's move towards making more than just reading tablets. It wants to make truly smart devices. It could also be a sign that a phone, which many think/hope Amazon will eventually launch, is in the product pipeline.

“IVONA’s exceptional text-to-speech technology leads the industry in natural voice quality, accuracy and ease of use. IVONA is already instrumental in helping us deliver excellent accessibility features on Kindle Fire, including Text-to-Speech, Voice Guide and Explore by Touch,” Dave Limp, Vice President of Amazon Kindle, said in a release. “The IVONA team shares our passion for innovation and customer obsession, and we look forward to building great products to deliver world-class voice solutions to customers around the world.”